One of the most demanding and prestigious positions in the country is that of the ADC of the Indian President. This is not just a position that every person can hold, which had spiked aspirants’ interest in knowing how to become ADC of President of India. If you are one such person who aspires to rise to that position some day, we give you a detailed account on how you can do so.
Who is an ADC?
Before we build on the process to become ADC of President of India, let us understand who an ADC is. An ADC is the shortened version of the French, “Aide-de-Camp”, which literally translates to camp assistant. This is a position held by a person who, in very basic terms, acts as the personal assistant to a high-ranking official.
This person manages the daily activities and assists the official in carrying out the same, while adhering to the etiquette and protocol. An ADC, in short, is like a liaison officer who communicates, manages the schedule, and provides logistical support to the person they are assisting.
Remember that when we speak of an ADC, we don’t specifically mean the President’s ADC. In India, many high-ranking officials like the Governors of states, and the Service Chiefs among others have an ADC for them.
How To Become ADC of President of India?
Since most of us are eager to know how to become ADC of President of India, we confine our blog to the same. The President of India has five ADCs, out of which three are from the Indian Army, while the Indian Navy and IAF are represented by one each.
Please know that the selection of an ADC is roughly the same, however, the criteria might change based on the person they are serving. Now, we give you a step-by-step guide:
Commissioning
To become ADC of President of India, you first need to become a commissioned officer in the Indian Armed Forces, that is, the Indian Army, Air Force, or Navy. To do so, you have several ways:
- National Defence Academy/Naval Academy Examination
- Combined Defence Services Examination
- Direct Entries
- Air Force Common Admission Test
- Indian Navy Entrance Test
Once you have joined either of the three services of India, you need to start maintaining your overall record in service, because this is one of the primary factors that determine shortlisting.
Shortlisting of Officers
Please know that not every commissioned officer can become ADC of President of India; rather you are shortlisted for the position first. To begin with, you must be unmarried and completed at least five to seven years of service. This means that you must be of Major or an equivalent rank to be shortlisted.
But just because you are an unmarried Major, you do not become ADC of President. The shortlisting is based on other factors such as:
- Service bracket (5 to 7 years)
- Age limit
- Physical standards in terms of fitness and height/weight measurements
- Annual Confidential Report or ACR
- Performance in undertaken courses
- Service record
Those who qualify the given criteria are shortlisted for the interview stage. Interestingly, only about 30 officers are shortlisted in this phase.
Personal Interview
After the shortlisting comes the personal interview at the service headquarters. This means that an Army officer will be interviewed at Army HQs, and so on.
This is similar to the SSB personal interview in which the idea is to bring out the best in a candidate by building pressure on them. Here too, those who are shortlisted to become ADC of President of India, are asked numerous questions that span across topics such as:
- International affairs
- Domestic events
- Situation-based questions
- Motivation
The idea is to determine the situational awareness of an officer and to understand if they are fit for the position or not. Once done, only five officers are chosen for the next round out of the 30.
Marathon Interview at Rashtrapati Bhawan
This is the most interesting round of the process as the five officers are called to the Rashtrapati Bhawan, which is the residence of the President of India. Here, they undergo a marathon interview for 14 days continuously.
To become ADC of President of India, the officers are interviewed by senior officers and pressurized to the core. They look for those men and women who are able to identify their areas of improvement and work on them, which is another example of being situationally aware.
Simultaneously, an entire background check or verification is also carried out to be cent per cent sure of each officer’s credentials. After this rigorous process only 1 out of the top 5 officers becomes the President of India’s ADC. Clearly, the process is highly competitive owing to the position and responsibilities that it carries.
Final Thoughts
To become an ADC of President of India, you don’t just have to be physically fit and strong; rather you need to be aware about yourself as well as the world around you. This is because the nature of the job demands so.
Hence, officers never stop learning even once they are commissioned as learning is a continuous process and they are the first ones to understand this. So, if you too have a topic that you would love to hear about, do let us know in the comments, and we would be happy to build on it.
